Habituate
by SilverHeart09
Summary: After the rooftop scene, Tony and Pepper adjust to being... them, officially. One-shot.


_Watching Iron Man 2 and going on Tumblr gives me SO MANY FEELS. Argh my heart. Anyway, I haven't thrown in my two cents for a post-rooftop scene so this is it. Enjoy and please drop me a review :)_

* * *

By the time he gets to bed that night, Tony is seeing double.

Not only did he get thrown against a rock that then collided with the back of his head rather hard by Ivan, he also got head-butted by Ivan, and both incidents were causing his brain to do all kinds of funny things, that coupled with the aftermath of suffering severe heavy metal poisoning led to Tony wondering if he would be somehow able to convince Pepper to hit him over the head with a fire extinguisher to allow him to get some rest.

Somehow, despite how much he's sure she wants too, he can't see that happening.

Pepper finds him in the bathroom wrapped only in a towel with his forehead resting against the cool surface of the glass, eyes tightly shut, one hand at the back of his head holding an ice pack firmly in place. Pepper had planned on flying back to California that night but Tony looked like he was about to kneel over at any second so instead they'd vacated to the town house that not many people knew about and where they could both get some rest.

He doesn't notice she's there, or if he does he doesn't say anything, and Pepper watches him from the doorway for a few seconds, staring at his body, the living proof that he really was dying.

He's thinner, much thinner than usual and, now she has a good chance to really _look, _she can see that he's lost muscle mass. His face is shallower, his crow's feet more pronounced, great big black bags under his eyes. Then there are those faint silvery lines on his chest protruding away from the Arc Reactor, its new triangle centre glowing brightly.

Tony moans softly, drawing her out of her reverie, and presses the ice pack harder against his head.

Pepper's feet are carrying her across the room before she can stop them and she places one hand tentatively on his bare shoulder and gently moves his hand away from his hair so she can get a good look. There's no blood, but there is one hell of a lump and what looks like the start of one mighty big bruise.

He's banged up, and judging by the way he's leaning his body against hers, he knows it and is determined to milk the situation for all he's worth.

Pepper reapplies the ice pack and holds it in place with one hand, using the other to run her fingers gently through his hair, causing him to sigh softly. This wasn't new, this was familiar, every time he had a nightmare (which was almost every night) and she couldn't wake him up (which was common if it was really bad) she would sit by his side and play with his hair until he'd relaxed.

She didn't have to think about the Kiss yet. That could wait another few hours.

It takes another few seconds before she realises that he has actually fallen asleep on her, and that the water from his body is soaking her front. Pepper removes the ice pack and wraps both arms around him, hugging him tightly. This part is new, she has of course hugged him occasionally during the ten years she was his PA, but both of them had nearly always been slightly tipsy, or flat out drunk in Tony's case.

His body is warm and reassuring, and Pepper places one hand on his chest, to the side of the Arc Reactor so she can feel his heart beating softly against his skin, warm, safe, and alive. Pepper doesn't realise she's crying until she glances up at herself in the mirror and sees the tear streaks down her face, causing lines in her makeup.

They make a funny couple in the mirror. Pepper, still in her black dress but with her hair down and dishevelled and her makeup ruined, crouching awkwardly to wrap her arms around Tony, who is fast asleep against her, face relaxed, arms at his sides, leaning against the upper half of her body and dead to the world.

It's when her back starts hurting that Pepper realises she should probably move. She looks at Tony, unsure how to proceed. They've been in this position for so long that the water has gone from his body and her clothes and his hair has dried and is flat against his head, with a few strands here and there sticking up like they've been plugged into an electric socket.

Pepper isn't sure whether she wants to forget the Kiss, say it was all a mistake, leave him perched hazardously against the wall and disappear into the night. But she knows that if she does that she will regret it for the rest of her life. When Tony was captured and kept in a cave, Pepper felt miserable and powerless to help him. She wasn't there, she didn't know where he was, there was nothing she could do to help except keep his house clean and help Stane run his company. But now, with him leaning against her, feeling his soft breath against her skin, she could help him, she wanted to help him. They'd both admitted that all they had was each other and she wasn't going anywhere.

Pepper gently kissed his bruised cheek and stroked the side of his face with a finger.

'Tony…' she said softly. 'Wake up.'

He stirred slightly in her arms and mumbled something incoherent.

'What was that?' Pepper asked, leaning down so her ear is against his mouth.

'This is nice,' she hears, and when she pulls back Tony's awake and he's looking at her blearily with glassy unfocused eyes that tells her he's still slightly concussed and needs to go back to sleep.

'You need to stand up,' she tells him firmly, retracting her arms but keeping a hand on his arm when he starts to learn dangerously over to the left.

'Too tired,' Tony mumbles, his eyes sliding closed again.

On an impulse, and also because she can't think of another way to keep him awake other than slapping him, Pepper leans forward and kisses him.

The kiss on the roof was ten years of winks, suggestive comments and sexual tension going down the drain, this kiss is different, it's softer, more gentle, sloppy but passionate. Tony's lips are warm and tender against hers and almost hesitant, like he's afraid he'll do the wrong thing.

Pepper's hand slides into his hair to keep him in place against her mouth and to reassure him that this is the rightest thing he's even done. A large warm hand wraps around her waist and pulls her onto his lap and suddenly instead of gentle and soft they're kissing hard, hands roaming each other's bodies, pulling moans from each other's mouths. Tony's tongue traces along her bottom lip before diving into her mouth, he kisses like he's determined to explore every inch of her.

Not that Pepper is complaining.

When they finally break apart, they're both breathing hard and their skin is flushed. Pepper presses her forehead against Tony's and he nuzzles her neck, placing sloppy kisses along her jawline and holding her tightly.

'This is counter-productive to sleeping,' Pepper informs him, letting her eyes slide closed because whatever he's doing with his mouth feels _so good._

'But a lot more fun,' he says, his breath hot against her skin.

'Hmmm,' Pepper says, the sound resonating in her throat.

'This is okay, isn't it?' Tony says, pulling back to look at her, worry in his eyes. 'I mean, us,' he gestures with his hand between their two bodies. 'We're okay, aren't we?'

He sounds so hesitant and unsure that Pepper leans forward to place a soft reassuring kiss on his lips.

'Yes, we're okay,' she says. 'But I'm still mad at you for not telling me you were dying.'

'You have every right to be,' he sighs, and plays with the hem of her dress absentmindedly; face still half-buried in her neck.

'Um… Pep?' he says, and she can tell that whatever he's about to say, he's finding it embarrassing.

'Yes, Tony?' she asks, running her fingers through his hair again.

'I don't know what… I mean… now we're finally…. _us, _I'm not sure what you… um, because I'm really tired and I want, like _us, _to be… you know… I'm not suggesting that you're… you know… easy or anything I just…'

Pepper lifts his chin up to stop his babbling and raises an eyebrow at him. 'Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to have sex tonight because you're too tired?'

'Mmm-hmm,' he replies, flushing a gorgeous shade of pink.

Pepper can't help but laugh because not only is _Tony Stark _telling her he doesn't want sex, he's also _blushing. _

She regrets it when his face drops and she kisses him again quickly, burrowing her hands in his hair and breathing him in, tracing his tongue with hers in a sloppy, lazy kiss.

'It's okay,' she says, pulling away and cupping his tired face with her hands. 'We both need to sleep, so how about just cuddling tonight?'

'I can do that,' Tony says smiling sleepily.

Somehow, she manages to get him off the stool he's sat on and into his bedroom, one arm wrapped tightly around him to keep him standing upright and supported. He all but collapses on his bed and Pepper throws a top and some sweatpants at him while she goes into the bathroom to change, getting rid of her make-up and brushing out her hair before walking back into his… their?... room, to find Tony curled up in a ball fast asleep under the covers.

He hogs the bed, but this doesn't surprise her, and Pepper nudges him gently so he rolls over, giving her enough room to get in and get comfy.

Truth be told, she hadn't been planning on getting into bed with Tony that evening, she'd planned to dump him in the shower, then his bed, and vacate to the guest room to get some work done. But Tony was… well, Tony, and he usually got what he wanted which was, in this case, her.

Half of her was still debating getting her laptop and starting to compose a few emails to basically every three letter organisation in the phone book. But she was absolutely exhausted. Both she and Tony had given statements to the police and the CIA and all that lot and it had completely drained the energy out of her. Plus, Unconscious Tony clearly doesn't approve of her plan because he rolls onto his side and wraps an arm around her waist, still fast asleep.

Tony Stark is a cuddler; she never saw that one coming.

Pepper wraps an arm around Tony's/her boyfriend's? shoulders and rests her cheek on the top of his head, listening to him breathing softly in and out.

He was dying and he didn't tell her, couldn't tell her.

She watches his face carefully. Usually when he sleeps, his mouth is drawn into a frown and his brow is furrowed, eyes screwed up tightly, but now his whole face is relaxed and he looks peaceful for the first time since he's been back from Afghanistan.

He makes a noise and buries closer into her body and under the covers, one hand clutching at the thin fabric of her top, head resting on her shoulder, nose pressed against her skin.

She could get used to this.

* * *

_How do you make holy water?_

_Take normal water and boil the hell out of it._

_HA HA HA HA HA BOOM BOOM! (c) Basil Brush_

_I don't know why I find that joke so funny. Anyway, please review lovely people! :D_


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